“Come to me all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
Once after doing a miracle, Jesus confessed that “power had gone out from him” (Luke 8:36) – a saying every busy pastor and church leader should reflect on. And so we find in the gospels Jesus modeling a rhythm of work and rest, where prayer becomes the healing lubricant between them.
Mark 1:32-34 describes Jesus engaged in an intense evening of healing the sick and demon-oppressed. The next verse shows Jesus the following morning rising early to pray. The connection is unavoidable. Ministry depletes you; prayer replenishes you, Mark is saying.
Later on in Mark 6:7, Jesus dispatches the disciples on their own preaching-healing mission. When they return, Jesus says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31). Their rest doesn’t last long as a massive crowd discovers their hiding place, leading to the familiar story of the feeding of the 5,000. As the sun sets on that frenetic day, Matthew writes that after Jesus dismissed the crowds, “He went up on the mountain to pray. When evening came he was there alone.” (Matthew 14:23)
Many Sunday afternoons after I’ve preached (and after a nap, if I can snatch it), I’ll grab my Bible for a bit of Jesus and me time. It’s not my full-blown quiet time, but just a few minutes to lock eyes with my Lord, exhale my exhaustion and breathe in His peace. Moments like that, wherever I can find them, are precious to me.
Rigorous Prayers vs. Restful Prayers
There are some types of prayer that require deep and intense focus, which actually can wring you out. Intercession, as well as fasting, is on that order. But then there is a type of prayer – often referred to as contemplative prayer – that is restorative. It’s the kind of prayer that sits itself at the feet of the Lord, or kneels before Him, and just waits and worships, “…more than the watchman waits for the morning” (Psalm 130:6).
In Luke 10:38-42 is the famous story of Mary and Martha, the two sisters who welcome Jesus into their home. Mary, trying to be a good host, is “distracted with much serving”. Meanwhile, Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.” As you might predict, Martha gets exasperated with what she perceives to be her sister’s rudeness (or laziness), and asks the Lord to set her straight.
Instead, Jesus sets her straight with one of the most tender rebukes in the Bible. He says to her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Martha is busy doing for Jesus, while Mary has chosen to be with Jesus. And the being is better than fetching the cheese and crackers.
Don’t misinterpret the story. There’s a time for doing. But it should flow out of the being. We sit, then we serve. We wait (on Jesus), then work (for Jesus). Mary is not being lazy at all; she is hard at work listening to Jesus, drinking in His presence. And that’s what we “do” in this type of prayer.
Often times behind the Doer’s rushing about is an anxiety that God might just need a little more help than He’s letting on. Mark Batterson would encourage people that are wired this way to take a Mary chill-pill. “We work as though the world revolves around us and relies on us,” he writes. “Maybe it’s time to rest as though the world revolves around and relies on the Creator who hangs the stars and spins the planets.”
John Bunyan would agree, “You can do more than pray, after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.”
I hadn’t heard this older Rend Collective song till recently. Pray – and sing – this out, and the peace of Christ will overflow your heart.